Summary
William Paterson the proposed the New Jersey Plan at the Constitutional Convention. He also served as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
William Paterson | Signer of the Constitution
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Biography
William Paterson was born in Ireland in 1745. When he was not yet 2 years old, his family emigrated to America. While William’s father, Richard Paterson, traveled around the colonies selling tinware, the Paterson family lived in various places in Connecticut and then in New Jersey. Ultimately, in 1750, the Patersons settled in Princeton, New Jersey, and William’s father began manufacturing tin goods. His success allowed William to attend the College of New Jersey [later Princeton] where he received both a B.A. degree and a Master’s Degree. He left the college in 1766, setting his sights on a career as a lawyer. By 1770, he had begun to practice law.
Paterson entered politics just as independence was being debated in the Continental Congress. In fact, he was serving as the first attorney general of New Jersey when Jefferson’s declaration was signed. By 1787, when the Constitutional Convention was called, he was one of his state’s most prominent lawyers. Thus, it was no surprise that he was chosen to attend the Convention along with Jonathan Dayton, David Brearley, and the state governor William Livingston. Although Livingston had abandoned the practice of law, all four of New Jersey’s delegates were trained lawyers.
Paterson seemed to intrigue William Pierce. In Pierce’s sketch, the Georgian described Paterson as “one of those kind of Men whose powers break in upon you, and create wonder and astonishment.” Pierce did not find him an imposing figure, noting Paterson was very short, with looks that did not suggest great talent. And yet, Pierce confessed “he is a Classic, a Lawyer, and an Orator—and of a disposition so favorable to his advancement that every one seemed ready to exalt him with their praises.”
When Paterson did take the floor at the convention, it was usually to defend the interests of the small states. He proposed a New Jersey Plan that called for a unicameral legislature with equal state representation—not unlike the Confederation Congress’s structure. But after an alternate plan, submitted by Connecticut’s Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth was passed on July 16th, a plan that allowed proportional representation in the House but guaranteed equal representation in the Senate, Paterson left the Convention. He was satisfied that the small states would be protected. Despite David Brearley’s August 21st plea that Paterson “come down and assist us,” Paterson did not return until September when he added his signature to the new Constitution.
Paterson supported ratification of the new government and won a seat in the first federal Senate. There he was influential in the drafting of the Judiciary Act of 1789. In 1790, he was elected governor of New Jersey and from 1793 to 1806, he served as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. But in 1803, as he was riding the circuit for the Court, he was in a coach accident. His health suffered after that and in September 1806, the 60 year old Paterson traveled to a spa in New York hoping to be cured from the lingering effects of the accident. He died on route while stopping at his daughter’s home in Albany.
